Safety-stopper



J. MOHN.

SAFETY STOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.1s, 1919.

1,363,804, Patented Dec. 23,1920.` l

INVENTOR Jan .Moiano gg u, 7, r

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES JOHN MOHN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SAFETY-STOPPER.

Specification of' Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 28, 1920.

Application led October 18, 1919. Serial No. 331,535.

Il 'o all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN Morin, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of lVayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Safety-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to bottle Stoppers and my invention aims to provide a stopper or closure member by which a bottle or similar receptacle may be positively sealed against the entrance of air to the bottle or receptacle, but provision is made for the escape of gas through the stopper or closure so as to prevent the bottle or receptacle from bursting by the accumulation of gas therein. it is with this connection that the stopper or closure has been especially designed for bottles or receptacles containing fermentitious liquid, for instance wine, it being a well known fact that the generation of gas in a wine bottle either blows out the stopper or bursts the bottle resulting in a waste and sometimes injury to property or persons 1n proximity to the bottle.

rlhis invention further aims to furnish an adjustable stopper or closure with a novel release valve that may be set to open under a predetermined gas pressure, the valve being housed in the stopper or closure so as to be protected thereby and not interfere with the adjustment of the stopper or closure when being fitted in the mouth or neck of a bottle.

My invention will be hereinafter specifically described, and reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the stopper or closure;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, and

1Eig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of a detached valve stem.

The reference numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical body having the inner end thereof provided with an annular abutment or collar 2, and the outer end of said body is exteriorly screwthreaded, as at 3.

4 denotes a cylindrical or tubular packing member loosely mounted on the body 1 and having the inner end thereof bearing against the collar 2, while the cutter end of said packing member has a peripheral flange 5. The packing member 4 is made of a compressible material, as rubber and is adapted to be expanded or distended by reducing its longitudinal dimension until its side walls are bulged.

On the flange 5 of the packing member 4 is a washer or wear plate 6 and screwed on the outer end of the body 1 is a nut 7 having handles 8. The nut 7 may be adjusted against the washer 6 and assuming that the stopper is placed in the neck or mouth 9 of a bottle the iange 5 will engage the rim or pouring edge of the bottle neck with the washer 6 resting thereon. By then adjusting the nut 7 the body 1 may be shifted so that the collar 2 of said body will compress the inner end of the packing member 4, causing said member to bulge and positively engage the bottle neck to seal the same. ith the bottle neck provided with a bulged portion, ,as shown, the packing member 4 can enter the bulged portion of the bottle neck and thereby be held against accidental or internal pressure displacement.

The body 1 has a longitudinal bore 10 with the inner end thereof reduced as at 11 and the outer end thereof enlarged and interiorly screwthreaded, as at 12.

In the bore 10 of the body 1 is placed a valve stem 13 having a head 14 adjacent the inner end thereof, and said head is provided with longitudinal grooves 15 registering with grooves or notches 16 in a gasket 17 at the inner end of the head 14. The head and gasket constitute a valve and are adapted to seat on the annular shoulder formed at the inner reduced end 11 of the bore 10.

The outer end of the valve stem 13 extends into a tubular nut or plug 18 screwed in the outer enlarged end 12 of the bore 10 and encircling the stem 13 between the inner end of the nut 18 and the head 14 is a coiled compression spring 19 which may have its tension increased or decreased by adjustingv the nut 18. The expansive force of the spring 19 is sufficient to hold the valve normally closed or seated at the inner end of the body 1, for instance, against an internal pressure of a predetermined number of pounds and when the pressure exceeds such number of pounds then the valve is unseated allowing the gas within the bottle neck to escape and establish approximately atmospheric pressure within the bottle or receptacle. The head 14 is grooved and the gasket 17 notched so that when the gasket is raised relative to the inner end of the body l the gases Within the bottle neck may escape into the bore 10 and through the nut 18 to the atmosphere. i

From the foregoing it will be observed that the relier" valve is useless unless the stopper is positively sealed relatively to the bottle neck, consequently the compressible packing member is an important element of the invention. It is this packing member that permits of the stopper being firmly anchored in a. bottle neck without any additional fastening means and perfect safety is insured When the relief valve is set for the release of a predetermined gas pressure, so that there is no danger oi the bottle or receptacle bursting.

One embodiment or' my invention has been illustrated but it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall Within the scope of the appended cla-im.

What I claim is z- The combination With a bottle neck, a spring controlled relief valve having an annular abutment at the inner end thereof, a packing member about said valve bearing on the abutment thereof and having a peripheral flange on the pouring edge of said bottle neck, a Washer on the peripheral flange of said packing member, and a nut carried by said valve adapted for bringing pressure to bea-r on said Washer to simultaneously compress said member and its flange to 'cause said packing member to bulge away from 'said relief valve and seal said packing member in the bottle neck t0 anchor the valve relative thereto.

In testimony vuViii-neof I affix my signature in the presence Aof two Witnesses.

Y JOHN MOHN. vWitnesses ANNA M. Doma, KARL H. BUTLER. 

